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Friday, December 16, 2011

I am now able to publish the results of my recent experiment using different quality olive oil in soap. THANK YOU SO MUCH to the volunteers who tested these for me!!There were 17 testers but in the end 2 of them provided no results so my experiment is based on the results from 15 testers.Ahora puedo publicar los resultados de mi experimento reciente con diferentes calidades de aceite de oliva en jabón. ¡¡MUCHISIMAS GRACIAS a los voluntarios que los probaron!!Había 17 participantes pero al final 2 de ellos no me dieron resultados así que mi experimento se base en los resultados de 15 personas.

These results leave the question out there – Why are we usually recommended to use bottom of the line olive oil in our soap making instead of top quality?Colour?Trace time?Smell?Price?Estos resultados dejan abierta la pregunta – ¿Porque nos recomiendan normalmente usar aceite de oliva de baja calidad cuando elaboramos jabón en lugar de aceite de alta calidad?¿Color? ¿Tiempo para llegar a la traza? ¿Aroma?¿Precio?

In the end, the experiment has served its purpose for me.I have chosen which oil I am moving forward with.From now on, I am using Organic Extra-Virgen Olive Oil in my products. I have not done colour experiments with this oil yet, so if it proves too dark for any of my natural colours to come through well, I may use a different quality oil simply to enhance the colour in that soap, but for the most part I am going with the Organic oil.Al final, mi experimento ha servido su propósito.He elegido que aceite voy a usar. . . Desde ahora en adelante, voy a usar Aceite de Oliva Extra-Virgen y Ecológico en mis productos.Todavía no he hecho experimentos de color con este aceite asi que si afecta mucho los colorantes naturales, es posible que uso otra calidad de aceite simplemente para facilitar el color natural en ese jabón, pero sobre todo voy a usar el aceite ecológico.

Thank you everyone and Happy Holiday Season!I hope this information has been of use to you.

Friday, November 25, 2011

I discovered these amazing hand-woven baskets, made by a remarkable artisan in Lubrin. He is 92 years old and lived in California for 22 years. He’s got so many wonderful stories...Descubrí estas maravillosas cestas hechas a mano por un artesano muy interesante en Lubrín.Tiene 92 años y vivió 22 años en California.Cuenta tantos increíbles cuentos...

The baskets are made from Esparto Grass and sometimes he adds a little colour with telephone wires!Las cestas están hechas de esparto y a veces incluye un poco de color con alambres de colores de telefónica!

I used to get baskets from the local cheap-shop… but it’s not about cheap is it?It’s about feeling good about everything I do… about supporting local artisans… about preserving local and traditional crafts which could get lost with all these cheap-shops around...Antes compraba cestas de las tiendas más baratas… pero no se trata de barato ¿verdad?Se trata de sentirme bien de todo lo que hago… de apoyar los artesanos de esta zona… de conservar manualidades y arte que se podría perder totalmente con todas estas tiendas baratas...

I love these hand-crafted baskets which are now an integral part of my market stand.Me encantan estas cestas artesanas que ahora son una parte fundemantal de mi puesto de mercadillo.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

I want to send out a HUGE thank you to all the wonderful volunteers that sent me emails to participate in this experiment.I was overwhelmed with emails!THANK YOU !!!!!I am just sorry that I couldn’t send out samples to everyone who wished to participate.Quiero enviarles un enorme GRACIAS a todos los maravillosos voluntarios que me enviaron correos electrónicos para poder participar en este experimento. Recibí muchísimos correos! ¡¡¡¡GRACIAS!!!! Es una pena muy grande que no he podido enviar muestras a todos los que querían participar.

To those who are participating, please let me know when you receive your package.I would love to hear all of your impressions of each of the four samples and which is your favourite.Para la gente que están participando, avísame por favor cuando reciban tu paquete. Me encantaría saber todas tus impresiones de las cuatro muestras y cuál es tu jabón preferido.

I want to clarify that these are not Castille soaps.They each have about 60% Olive Oil (for the oil part) and they also contain Coconut Oil, Organic & Unrefined Shea Butter and Castor Oil. Quiero clarificar que no son jabones de Castilla.Todos tienen más o menos 60% Aceite de Oliva (para la parte de aceite) y también tienen Aceite de Coco, Manteca de Karité Ecológica, Sin Refinar y Aceite de Ricino.

In my own initial testing, first on my hands, I have found that all four left the tops of my hands quite soft but two left the palms of my hands drier than the other two.So, I have eliminated those two from my further tests and will continue testing in the shower and on my face.I have also found that one of the four used up quicker than the others.My testing is not blind though, as I know which oil was used for which, so I am more interested in hearing about your results!!He empezado mis propias pruebas, primero en las manos, y he encontrado que los cuatro dejan la parte arriba de mis manos bastante suave pero dos de los jabones dejan las palmas más secas que las otros dos. Así que he eliminado esos dos de mis pruebas desde ahora y voy a seguir probando las dos que quedan en la ducha y en la cara.También he notado que uno de los cuatro se termina más rápido que los otros. Pero mis pruebas no son ciegas porque yo sé que jabón se hizo con que aceite así que serán más interesantes los resultados vuestros!

Once I decided that I wanted to have the best possible local ingredients in my products, I began searching for the best local Olive Oil.As I posted about earlier, I discovered a great Olive Oil mill in a nearby town called Lubrin.

I did an experiment – I made 4 different batches of soap using the same recipe except each with a different type of Olive Oil. The recipe is simple & non-scented.The four different types of Olive Oil that I used are:

- the cheapest Olive Oil from the local grocery store

- Almazara de Lubrín Olive Oil, bottom quality

- Almazara de Lubrín Extra-Virgen Olive Oil

- Almazara de Lubrín Organic Extra-Virgen Olive Oil

All 4 batches were made at the same temperatures.Two batches were made one morning and the other two batches the next morning, at the same time of the day, same climactic conditions.I tried to keep every other variable the same.

For anyone who is interested in participating in the experiment, I have enough samples left to send to 12 people.I will send you a sample of each of the different soaps. I would like you to try them out and report back on the qualities of each one if you noticed any differences.

I will reveal which number soap has which oil once I get all the results back.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Soft, mild, soothing, moisturizing & nourishing, HoneyBee soap has no added scent. I have left it pure and simple for all skin types, even the most sensitive. I love to use HoneyBee soap on my face in the winter, when my combination skin gets dry.

If you want to see more of our soaps, come visit the Soap Section at the top of this blog.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Lavender is one of my favourite scents in the world... it has helped me sleep over the years and soothed and comforted me in moments when I needed it. This wonderfully moisturizing bar is my comfort soap.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

This week, I had a wonderful visit to the Almazara (Olive Oil Mill) in Lubrin, one of the local villages. This is where the Olive Oil is produced that will be used from now on in Naturalmente Mediterraneo products.I was very impressed!Esta semana, hice una visita maravillosa a la Almazara en Lubrin, uno de los pueblos de esta zona. Allí se produce el aceite de oliva que se usará desde ahora en adelante en los productos de Naturalmente Mediterráneo.¡Impresionante la Almazara!

I brought home three types of olive oil, which I will be experimenting with:Lleve tres diferentes tipos de Aceite y voy a experimentar con ellos:

They also provided me with some olive pits bits which I will be using for exfoliation. . . Look forward to experimenting!También me dieron restos de huesos de aceituna que voy a usar para la exfoliación. ¡Tengo ganas de empezar con los experimentos!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Three Fridays ago my lovely friend Elisa took me to her family property nearby, and toured me around the area surrounding Los Giles (near Mojacar). I took lot of photos as we came across so many of the ingredients that I use!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Thank you so much for checking in, visiting or following the Naturalmente Mediterráneo blog! I will be writing here about Naturalmente Mediterráneo natural soap & skincare, the amazing area along the Mediterranean coast of Spain where the products are made, the natural ingredients used and keeping you updated on the progress of the business.

If you haven’t tried any Naturalmente Mediterráneo products yet, I hope you can soon.It may be the beginning of a life-long love-affair with showering...

I am beginning by offering 4 different types of soap but will be adding new products regularly. To see the products, please use the pages under the blog heading.